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Photo: Christoph Schmidt / dpa
Stephan Fehrenbach will put up a sign on his bar "Laundrette" on Saturday morning. "Only for vaccinated and convalescent", that is the sentence on it. Anyone who does not belong to this group can no longer drink coffee, beer or cocktails with him from the weekend. "The risk of bankruptcy is simply too great for me," says Fehrenbach and explains that he only achieves between 50 and 60 percent of pre-Corona sales every month. For the 53-year-old, the advantages of the measure predominate, he can serve more guests again and at the same time keep the risk of infection low.
The restaurateur from the Hamburg district of Ottensen is one of the first to want to implement the new 2G option in the city from the start.
In return he gets: no curfew, no distance rule, finally he can fill the interior in front of the round bar with guests again.
But also: strict controls of the evidence - and a lot of hate news.
When Fehrenbach announced in an interview that he wanted to use the 2G rules in his bar, the local phone no longer stood still: »Asshole, idiot!
The inoculation needle is supposed to get stuck in your throat. «He has been receiving messages and calls of this kind ever since, he says.
That doesn't change his conviction.
"I was just the first to speak out and that's why I got it," he says, "but 2G will set a course here, for sure."
No distance, full utilization
As the first and so far only German federal state, Hamburg decided on Tuesday a so-called "2G option model" for organizers and restaurateurs. Theaters, cinemas, music clubs, trade fair operators, restaurants, hotels, swimming pools and fitness studios can only voluntarily admit vaccinated and convalescent people from Saturday after registering online once. With the exception of the mask requirement, most requirements such as distance rules or capacity restrictions do not apply.
Organizers of sporting events with visitors, folk festivals and educational courses should also be able to use this option after their own deliberation.
Hamburg's First Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) justified the introduction of the electoral model with the fact that vaccinated and convalescent people had "no significant share" in the infection process.
The aim is to create additional vaccination incentives and give companies more planning security.
Can it work?
In any case, the industry associations support the new regulation.
"It is to be welcomed that there is this option," says Ulrike von Albedyll,
Managing Director of Dehoga Hamburg.
Nevertheless, many hotels and restaurants will probably stick to the old 3G model - because not all employees are vaccinated or the regular customers should not be alienated.
Jan Kalbfleisch, Managing Director of the Federal Association for Event Management fwd: speaks of a “small glimmer of light on the horizon”. »Events with half capacity cannot inevitably be economical. We can finally increase the capacity. ”Still, one is not entirely satisfied, says Jens Michow, Executive President of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV), with regard to the unvaccinated people who now have to stay outside:“ It cannot be optimal to forego 40 percent of the audience. We therefore demand at least 2G plus PCR. «This means: access for those who have been tested, but only with a PCR test. In contrast to the 3G rule, which has been in force in the federal government since August 23, a quick test would not be sufficient in this case.
Veal is surprised that, of all things, Hamburg, which is otherwise rather restrictive in the fight against pandemics, is pushing ahead and allowing operators to be the first federal state to use the 2G model.
»Anyone who works on an event basis, for example organizing concerts or performing plays, will probably choose 2G.
In places with a steady stream of customers, such as restaurants and bars, things could look very different, ”he says.
Restaurateurs criticize short lead times
In Hamburg's gastronomy, not everyone is happy about the 2G option. The Block Group operates more than 20 restaurants in the city, including the steakhouses under the name "Block House". Block boss Stephan von Bülow is dependent on every guest, as he says: "We want the 40 percent still unvaccinated guests in our restaurants." Basically, he welcomes the additional vaccination incentive, but "first and foremost, politicians have to take responsibility , not just gastronomy «. The vaccination status of employees cannot be easily queried either.
In Hamburg's nightlife, many operators will switch to 2G in a few weeks at the earliest. "It can't be done five days in advance," says Dominik Großefeld, it should have been three to four weeks. He runs the »Zum Silbersack« pub and speaks for the Barkombinat Hamburg, an association of pubs and bar owners. In fact, there is still no written form of the new Corona regulation that operators could use as a guide. She should only come on Friday. Nothing is yet known about the Internet portal on which hosts should register their 2G operation.
Nevertheless, there will be no alternative to the new model for many operators, says Großefeld and speaks of economic compulsion: "Those who do their main business here on St. Pauli after 11 p.m. have no other choice because of the curfew." The rights of the unvaccinated are being pushed aside by politics in the direction of companies.
Apparently a few restaurateurs like Stephan Fehrenbach will only allow vaccinated and convalescents into their shops on Saturday. Theaters and concert halls are also cautious. There should be no change to 2G for dates when tickets are already on sale. A spokesman explains that there could be events in the Elbphilharmonie in November at the earliest. Before doing this, you have to coordinate with the audience, musicians and employees. In addition, it is not possible to constantly switch between 2G and 3G, which causes confusion.
The Hamburg theaters express themselves in a similar way: The Thalia Theater, for example, sees itself "as part of an extended basic service," says director Joachim Lux. Therefore, unvaccinated people cannot simply be excluded.
The Ohnsorg Theater, known for Low German plays, does not want to use the new model either.
"If the state is afraid to introduce a basic compulsory vaccination, this responsibility should not be shifted to the institutions," said director Michael Lang, criticizing the decision of the Hamburg Senate.
Organizers demand uniform rules
It is also doubtful whether the organizers will be able to benefit directly from the new regulations: the monthly changes to the regulations will not help with planning lead times of three to six months. If anything, the new rules would help individual organizers in Hamburg, says BDKV boss Jens Michow, but not the tour organizers.
The industry representatives assume that other federal states will soon follow suit. But even then, the industry will not automatically recover. Long-term openness is needed, there will always be unvaccinated people, as well as new virus mutations. Michow says:
"
How it went for 17 months, without any planning security and perspective, is absurd." Berlin must now finally make nationwide specifications under which conditions events can take place normally again.
